Chris Jericho was recently a guest on Busted Open Radio, where he spoke about the announcement of his match against Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12. This was a pretty big surprise to fans when it was first announced.
Jericho spoke with the Busted Open guys about the match and explained why he thinks that it is good for the professional wrestling business. Here are some highlights.
“I like doing stuff that’s never really been done. I think I’m in a very unique position in the WWE where I have a great relationship with the company, one guy [specifically], where normal rules might not apply. But I also do it with respect and with relevance to what they’re doing and realize that WWE is still my company, it’s still my home, but I’m not handcuffed to WWE. If I want to go to New Japan to work a main event at the Tokyo Dome or put on my own cruise and work in tandem with Ring Of Honor, that’s OK, because guess what? At the end of the day, when I go back to the WWE it makes me that much bigger of a star.”
Jericho also says that competition is good for the wrestling business because it pushes everybody to try and be better:
“I’m not saying it’s a Brock Lesnar-type thing, but it is very much a mercenary-type thing. It’s an old-school, something that you would see (Hulk) Hogan or (Ric) Flair or (Nick) Bockwinkel or somebody do back in the 80’s when they would do a big shot in Japan just because it meant something… I’m not a world champion, but it’s a big deal for Jericho to go there and I love that sort of intrigue and I think certain guys in the WWE appreciate that as well in the office because it makes for a better business. The good thing about New Japan and even Ring Of Honor to an extent is showing that WWE is not the only place in town, and I think the first people that would be happy about that are the guys that are running the WWE because it just makes for a better business, for a healthier business. And not just for the boys but for the fans. It pushes everybody to think more and to be more clever and creative and to work harder.”
You can listen to the clip here:
.@IAmJericho tells @bullyray5150 & @LarryDallasSXM that his match w/ Kenny Omega is a throwback to the 80s when superstars would go overseas for matches & that this match pushes promotions to think more & be more creative which ultimately is good for the pro-wrestling business. pic.twitter.com/M4whWT8MHc
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) November 10, 2017
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